British Air Force Typhoon fighter aircraft have conducted a mission with French aircraft in a joint strike targeting an hidden munitions depot in Syria operated by the Islamic State group (IS), per a report from the UK Ministry of Defence.
The facility, identified by intelligence, was believed to be containing munitions and bombs, the statement said, and was positioned in mountainous terrain just above Palmyra in Syria's central region.
"Our fighter planes utilized Paveway IV guided bombs to target a several entry passages leading to the site... preliminary assessments suggest the target was engaged successfully," the ministry announced.
There was no sign of any civilian impact in the operation conducted Saturday night and every plane involved returned safely, the MoD added.
The British jets were supported by a Voyager refuelling tanker.
IS - alternatively referred to as Daesh - established jihadist rule over large swathes of Syria and Iraq prior to its 2019 collapse.
"This strike demonstrates our UK leadership, and commitment to stand shoulder to shoulder with allied nations, to eliminate any revival of Daesh and their dangerous and violent ideologies in the Middle East," UK Defence Secretary the minister said.
UK warplanes have carried out overwatch operations over Syrian airspace to "prevent any attempted comeback" of the group subsequent to its defeat at the climactic battle in Baghuz in 2019, the authorities noted.
"I must thank every member of British forces who took part in this strike for their skill and their bravery," he said. "Including them were thousands of UK service members on duty over Christmas and New Year. This action, to remove terrorist threats who endanger our security, demonstrates how British military are ready to step up, continuously, protecting the UK within its borders and powerful internationally."
During December, the US military conducted what it called a "large-scale strike" targeting Daesh sites in Syria, following an attack claimed the lives of two US troops and a local interpreter in Palmyra.
The U.N. says Islamic State still maintains roughly 5-7 thousand fighters in Iraq and Syria.
